ANNAPOLIS, Md. -
The Navy women's lacrosse team (14-2, 5-0 PL) earned the 2012 Patriot League Regular Season title with a 19-6 win over American (7-7, 3-3 PL) on Friday evening at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Mids will be the No. 1 seed host of the upcoming Patriot League Tournament (April 27-29).

Navy captures the regular season title outright for the first time in program history. The Mids were co-champions in 2010, but earned the tournament's No. 2 seed due to a tiebreaker. Navy is the back-to-back Patriot League Tournament Champion, but the team has never hosted the league's postseason tournament. The Mids are a perfect 9-0 at home this season and have won four straight games.

"It was a big game against American and we were just playing one possession at a time and we really picked it up in the second half," head coach Cindy Timchal said. "I'm proud of the team for what they've accomplished so far and we'll take the next game as it comes."

Freshman attacker Loren Generi (Bayport, N.Y.) set a career-high and matched the Navy freshman record with seven goals on just nine shots to go along with eight draw controls and three ground balls.

Junior attacker Jasmine DePompeo (Sayville, N.Y.) and freshman midfielder Jess Fellows (Vienna, Va.) both scored four points on two goals and two assists apiece. DePompeo netted her 100th career goal.

Junior goalie Michelle Verbeeck (Wading River, N.Y.) made her second straight start in the cage, making five saves in 53:50 minutes of action. Verbeeck is 4-0 on the season and leads the league with a 7.58 goals-against average and a .500 save percentage.

American got the game's first tally just 38 seconds into the contest, but Generi controlled the ensuing draw and carried the ball down the field to score her first of the game just 13 seconds later. DePompeo then scored on an assist from Fellows, before American's Lauren Schoenberger netted a goal of her own.

Navy sophomore Aimee Gennaro (Havertown, Pa.) scored next, but American hung tough by scoring back-to-back to take a 4-3 lead with 19:42 remaining in the first half.

Fellows evened the game with an unassisted tally and then DePompeo fired a rocket coming from the left side to give Navy a lead that it would not relinquish. Two minutes later Generi scored on a free-position goal, which was followed by another strike from Generi that was assisted by DePompeo.

American snuck one goal in at 8:06, but one minute later DePompeo took a shot that was blocked and Generi scooped the ground ball and fired right on goal to give the momentum back to Navy. Just 29 seconds later, DePomepo made a nice pass to Generi who scored yet again as Navy took a 9-5 lead into the break after closing the half on a 6-1 spurt.

Generi did not cool off in the second half, as she scored on an eight-meter attempt just 30 seconds in, capping off a stretch that saw her score five straight Navy goals.

Junior midfielder Kathy Young (Berwyn, Pa.) got on the board with a free-position goal a minute later, followed by Generi's third free-position goal and seventh strike of the game.

Sophomore midfielder Jill Coughlin (Annapolis, Md.) scored back-to-back goals and then Gennaro notched an unassisted tally. Senior Danielle Vivonetto (Rocky Point, N.Y.) scored with 14 minutes to go and then Gennaro scored her third of the day off an assist from senior captain Kierstin King (Upperco, Md.) to end an 11-0 Navy run.

American's Kimberly Collins netted a free-position attempt at 10:31 before Fellows scored with 9:00 minutes to go to end the game's scoring.

Navy outscored American, 10-1, in the second half and outshot the Eagles after halftime, 21-5. The Mids led in draw controls, 17-10, and ground balls, 20-16, and caused 11 turnovers. Navy also scored on 5-of-7 free-position shots.

King had three caused turnovers and a ground ball to go along with her assist and junior midfielder Beth Young (Berwyn, Pa.) tallied four draw controls, three ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Navy still has one more regular season game at Lehigh next Saturday. With a win, Navy would finish its Patriot League schedule with a perfect 6-0 record.

Navy will play in the first semifinal on Friday, April 27 at 5:00 pm against the No. 4 seed. The other semifinal will follow at 7:45 pm. The semifinal winners will meet for the league championship on Sunday, April 29 at 12 noon.